BBI 3420 CRITICAL READING AND THINKING INFERENCES

What can you infer from these photos?

The people were celebrating some kind of festival. They were happy. The event was very “messy”. People threw tomatoes at random directions (that was why some wore goggles  to protect their eyes)

What is an inference? An educated guess / a reasoned guess about what you don’t know based on what you do know. When we make an inference, we draw a conclusion by reasoning from evidence. They inferred she was upset when she left the room. How did they know that she was upset?

She was hysterical. There were tears in her eyes. She ran out and ignored the others although they tried to calm her down.

You see a seated man frequently checking his watch  you can infer that he is waiting for someone who is late Your neighbours have regular habits and spend a lot of time at home. One day you notice that there have been no lights on in their house in the evening for at least a week

In an airport waiting room, you sit down next to a nun wearing a dark blue dress, starched white collar, and starched white head-dress. You notice she is reading a Playboy magazine. You are looking at your wife’s closet for you missing shoe and notice a new and expensive man’s leather jacket hanging there. Drawing Inferences from Evidence

Drawing Inferences from Careful Observation

Why is the old lady sitting on the floor? Who is she? Where is this place? Why is she all alone?

As you read, you also need to make inferences frequently. Authors do not always directly state exactly what they mean. Instead, they may only hint at or suggest an idea. You have to reason out or infer the meaning an author intends (but did not say) on the basis of what he or she did say.

For example: As Agatha studied Agnes, she noticed that her eyes appeared misty, her lips trembled slightly, and a twisted handkerchief lay in her lap. Inference: Agnes is upset slightly and on the verge of tears